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Poll: What shows should be here?

I was asked which three TV shows were “game-changers” last week. I named these four for their complex characters, sense of humor and honest portrayal of women.

Portlandia

Seinfeld

The Good Wife

The #1 Ladies Detective Agency

The next morning this AlterNet article appeared in my Inbox where Star Trek, Ellen and Ugly Betty were named as “game-changing” television shows (When did this become a phrase, BTW? And what’s the game we’re all supposed to be playing?) where writers use the medium to intentionally promote progressive politics. Other shows that pushed the envelope? The author, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, goes on to include East Side West Side, Roseanne, Murphy Brown, The Simpsons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show and The Wire as narrative examples that critically questioned widely accepted social norms through TV storytelling.

What shows would you add to this list? I made an abbreviated poll after lots of Twitter discussions around generating a more definitive, crowd-sourced list. I thought I’d start here. If none of these appeal to you, please leave a comment below so we can add to to the larger list.